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Notes: Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the association of body composition (obesity) and periodontal disease using simple, inexpensive nutritional assessment techniques available in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).Material and Methods: Caucasian subjects, aged 18 years and above, participating in NHANES III, were used for this study. Weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, skinfold thickness (S), and bioelectrical impedance analysis measurements were performed and used in the calculation of body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (visceral fat), log sum of S (subcutaneous fat), and fat-free mass (FFM). Data were analyzed using SPSS®. One-way, factorial ANOVA, multivariate analyses, and regression curve analyses were performed. p〈0.05 was used to reject the null hypothesis.Results: Adjusting for age, gender, history of diabetes, current smoking, and socioeconomic status, statistically significant correlations were found between periodontitis and WHR, BMI, FFM, and in some instances S.Conclusion: This study, indicating significant correlations between body composition and periodontal disease (with WHR being the most significant, followed by BMI, FFM, and S), showed similarities to those observed in other obesity-related health problems. This strengthened arguments that periodontal disease and certain obesity-related systemic illnesses are related, with abnormal fat metabolism possibly being an important factor.

Notes: Stimulated parotid salivary flow rates were compared in elderly normotensive, hypertensive, and controlled hypertensive African–Americans, the latter group taking hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). The normotensive group consisted of 15 healthy unmedicated subjects with systolic blood pressures of less than 150 mm Hg and diastolic pressures less than 90 mm Hg. The hypertensive group consisted of 10 unmedicated subjects with systolic pressures greater than 160 mm Hg and diastolic pressures greater than 100 mm Hg. The controlled hypertensive group consisted of 20 subjects taking HCTZ (50 mg, daily) with controlled blood pressures similar to the normotensive control group. Stimulated parotid salivary samples were collected from each subject. A 2% citrate solution applied to the dorsum of the tongue was used for stimulation. The results showed no significant differences in stimulated parotid flow rates between normotensive and uncontrolled hypertensive subjects. However, the medicated, controlled hypertensive subjects had a significant reduction of stimulated parotid salivary flow rates compared to both the normotensive and hypertensive groups.

Notes: This study examined parotid salivary flow rate and composition in three groups of differently treated diabetics and a control group of non-diabetics. The study population was composed of edentulous African-Americans at least 65 years of age. Group A was the control, Group B insulin-dependent (Regular Iletin, U-100 qd.). Group C controlled by oral medication (Tolbutamide, 500 mg qd.), and Group D was diet controlled. All diabetic patients had serum glucose values under 250 mg/dl. Salivary flow rates, secretory IgA. electrolytes (Na+, C1-, K+, Ca++) and total protein concentrations were evaluated. The results showed no significant differences between groups with respect to salivary flow rates, electrolytes and IgA concentrations. Additionally, all diabetic groups demonstrated a significantly lower salivary total protein concentration when compared to the controls. There appears to be no evident decrease in salivary flow rate in these three differently controlled diabetic groups compared with healthy non-diabetics.

Notes: Background:  As the maintenance medium of the oral cavity, saliva is secreted from exocrine glands that include the parotid, submandibular, sublingual, and minor salivary glands. Considering that saliva is a fluid suffused with protein, it is possible that the solubilized by-products of oncogenic expression may be present in saliva. Recent studies suggest the presence of solubilized extracellular domain portion of the c-erbB-2 protein in serum, nipple aspirates, and saliva. As a consequence, the purpose of this study was to determine the presence and concentration of c-erbB-2 in major salivary gland secretions.Methods:  Fifteen healthy women had serum, stimulated whole (SWS), parotid (SP), and submandibular/sublingual (SS) salivary secretions collected. The specimens were analyzed for c-erbB-2 using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Western blots using c-erbB-2 were also performed on these specimens.Results:  The ELISAs revealed the presence of c-erbB-2 in SWS (24.50 Units/ml), SP (19.66 Units/ml), SS (15.59 Units/ml) and serum (1472.15 Units/ml). Western blots confirmed the presence of these 185 kDa proteins.Conclusions:  These results suggest that the protein, c-erbB-2, is present in relatively equal amounts in both SP and SS glandular secretions. Elevated glandular salivary c-erbB-2 concentrations could be useful as a preliminary, non-invasive test in clinical decision making when diagnosing salivary gland carcinomas. Additionally, this marker may have utility in distinguishing between oral lesions that are benign, pre-malignant and malignant in the oral cavity. Further research is required to determine if these findings have clinical utility.

Notes: Background:  Approximately 1 woman in every 10 will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. It has been shown that screening for breast cancer can reduce breast cancer mortality. The use of a saliva-based test could prove to be very useful in post-operative and/or adjunctive therapy management of breast cancer patients.Methods:  The following study was undertaken to establish the possible usefulness of the salivary protein product of the oncogene c-erbB-2 in following patients diagnosed with carcinoma of the breast. Included in this study were 25 patients with a mean age of 54 years with varying histological diagnoses and stages of carcinoma of the breast. ELISA assays for c-erbB-2 and CA 15–3 were performed on serum and stimulated whole saliva samples collected on all patients prior to any adjunct therapy or surgery and sequentially during therapy.Results:  The results of the GLM analyses using marker concentration as the dependent variable and treatment regimen and the serial assessments as independent variables yielded a significant overall model for both the serum (P 〈 0.007) and salivary (P 〈 0.017) c-erbB-2 markers. The model for serum c-erbB-2, however, exhibited a significant difference for treatment regimen (P 〈 0.001) with the chemotherapy and radiation treatment regimen being significantly different (P 〈 0.001) from the other treatment therapies. Time (serial assessments) was not significant. The model for the salivary c-erbB-2 marker was reversed. Treatment regimen was not significant for this model; however, time (serial assessments) was significant (P 〈 0.002). The serum and salivary CA 15–3 marker models yielded no significant results. Paired t-test analyses indicated that only the salivary c-erbB-2 concentrations exhibited a significant difference between the pre- and post-therapy values (t = 4.245, P 〈 0.0001). Additionally, salivary c-erbB-2 displayed greater percent reductions across all therapies as compared to the other markers.Conclusions:  This preliminary study appears to indicate that c-erbB-2 protein expression in saliva may be a very useful diagnostic tool for measuring patient response to chemotherapy and/or surgical treatment of their disease.

Notes: Objectives: This study determines tooth loss rate over a 10-year period and identifies predictors of tooth loss in two separate US adult longitudinal study populations. Methods: Subjects from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), consisting of 47 men and 47 women, ages ranging from 30 to 69 years, were compared to subjects from the VA Dental Longitudinal Study (VADLS) in Boston, MA, consisting of 481 men in the same age range. Baseline and follow-up examinations were performed on each cohort over a 10-year period. Using multivariate regression models, significant predictors of tooth loss were identified. Results: A mean rate of tooth loss of 1.5 teeth lost per 10 years was noted in the VADLS cohort compared to 0.6 teeth lost per 10 years in the BLSA (P〈.001). Combining subjects from both populations, significant predictors of tooth loss were baseline values of: percent of teeth with restorations, mean probing pocket depth score, age, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, number of teeth present, and male sex. However, the set of significant predictor variables differed between the two populations and sexes. In BLSA men, number of teeth present, percent of teeth with restorations, mean probing pocket depth score, and alcohol consumption, but not age, were significant, while in BLSA women, only age was a significant predictor. Conclusions: Over a 10-year period, the incidence of tooth loss, the rates of tooth loss, and the predictors of tooth loss were found to vary by population and by sex. These results illustrate the limits of generalizing tooth loss findings across different study cohorts and indicate that there may exist important differences in risk factors for tooth loss among US adult populations.